[Air-l] 3 New Papers and 1 Book on opensource.mit.edu

[Karim R. Lakhani]

Hello All,

Some members of the list may be interested in these papers.  Sorry for 
any X-posting.

Best,

Karim

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [F/OSS-Community] 3 New Papers and 1 Book on opensource.mit.edu
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 11:40:25 -0500
From: Karim R. Lakhani <lakhani at MIT.EDU>
Organization: MIT Sloan Spoudaios Paizen Research Project
To: discuss <discuss at opensource.mit.edu>,   community 
<community at opensource.mit.edu>

Hello All,

Happy New Year!  The year is off to a great start.  Over my holidays I
recieved 3 papers and 1 book on free software and open source.  Many
thanks to the authors for their contributions.

Here are the details:

Paper 1
Author:
Nuvolari, Alessandro

Title
Open Source Software Development: Some Historical Perspectives
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/nuvolari.pdf

Abstract:
In this paper we suggest that historical studies of technology can help
us to account for some, perplexing (at least for traditional economic
reasoning) features of open source software development. When looked in
historical perspective, open source software seems to be a particular
case of what Robert Allen has termed "collective invention". We explore
the interpretive value of this historical parallel in detail, comparing
open source software with two remarkable episodes of nineteenth century
technical advances.

Paper 2
Authors:
Schmidt, Klaus & Monika Schnitzer

Title
Public Subsidies for Open Source? Some Economic Policy Issues of the
Software Market
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/schmidtschnitzer.pdf


This paper discusses the economic merits of direct or indirect
governmental support for open source projects. Software markets differ
from standard textbook markets in three important respects that may give
rise to market failures: (i) large economies of scale, (ii) crucially
important innovations, (iii) significant network effects and switching
costs. We analyze the differences between proprietary software and open
source software with respect to these market features and ask whether
open source as an alternative to proprietary software can mitigate these
problems. Then we discuss the implications of various forms of
governmental support for open source.

Paper 3
Authors:
West, Joel & Jason Dedrick

Title
Open Source Standardization: The Rise of Linux in the Network Era
http://opensource.mit.edu/papers/westdedrick.pdf

Abstract:
To attract complementary assets, firms that sponsor proprietary de facto
compatibility standards must trade off control of the standard against
the imperative for adoption. For example, Microsoft and Intel in turn
gained pervasive adoption of their technologies by appropriating only a
single layer of the standards architecture and encouraging competition
in other layers. In reaction to such proprietary strategies, the open
source movement relinquished control to maximize adoption. To illustrate
this, we examine the rise of the Linux operating system from 1995-2001,
particularly the motivations of organizational buyers and suppliers of
complementary assets, and Microsoft’s reaction to its success.

Book

Editor:
Hahn Robert

Title
Government Policy Towards Open Source Software (Edited Book)
http://www.aei.brookings.org/publications/abstract.php?pid=296&aei_bro

Abstract:
Can open source software?software that is usually available without
charge and that individuals are free to modify?survive against the
fierce competition of proprietary software, such as Microsoft Windows?
Should the government intervene on its behalf? This book addresses a
host of issues raised by the rapid growth of open source software,
including government subsidies for research and development, government
procurement policy, and patent and copyright policy. Contributors offer
diverse perspectives on a phenomenon that has become a lightning rod for
controversy in the field of information technology.

Contributors:
Chapter 1: Government Policy toward Open Source Software: An
Overview; Robert W. Hahn

Chapter 2: What Good is Free Software?; James Bessen

Chapter 3: Politics and Programming: Government Preferences for
Pomoting Open Source Software; David S. Evans

Chapter 4: Open Source Baselines: Compared to What?; Lawrence Lessig

Chapter 5: The Future of Software: Enabling the Marketplace to Decide;
Bradford L. Smith

Send me more of your papers!!!
-- 
===============================================
Karim R. Lakhani
MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Free/Open Source Software Research Project
e-mail: lakhani at mit.edu
voice:  617-851-1224
fax:    617-344-0403
http://opensource.mit.edu
http://freesoftware.mit.edu
http://mit.edu/lakhani/www
==============================================

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-- 
===============================================
Karim R. Lakhani
MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Free/Open Source Software Research Project
e-mail: lakhani at mit.edu
voice:  617-851-1224
fax:    617-344-0403
http://opensource.mit.edu
http://freesoftware.mit.edu
http://mit.edu/lakhani/www
==============================================